Just A Stranger
by Frivolouswhim
Summary: After a successful rescue mission in Neverland, Regina spends quite some time recovering in the hospital back in Storybrooke - and weighs her options for the future.


**Summary**: After a successful rescue mission in Neverland, Regina spends quite some time recovering in the hospital back in Storybrooke - and weighs her options for the future.  
**Disclaimer**: I own nothing. I just played with them. :)

It's been two weeks since their return from Neverland. For somebody who had cast a curse that froze time for 28 years it shouldn't have been strange but, truth was, it was a little odd to find out that in Storybrooke, months have passed while for them it felt nothing more than a few days. Tough, eventful and dangerous few days. It wasn't the notion itself, it was the unexpected change and the state of the place that was shocking. A few days ago Storybrooke, although barely saved from devastation, was a slow town full of secrets with its inhabitants guarding their existence and their real identities from the world surrounding them.

Now, though, strangers were flocking to the town. Outsiders were snooping around, GPS devices were suddenly taking travelers through the place, people whose presence was a threat because they couldn't understand magic. Not that she had met any of these people, as she spent her time in the hospital recovering from an injury and severe exhaustion.

Saving Henry had been quite the task, physically and mentally alike. Neverland presented itself as alluring to the boys but not one single moment she spent there did she feel any desire to stay – or to surrender her son to it. Pan had tried to poison Henry's mind against his family – against her. Unfortunately for the smug bastard, his plans came crashing down the moment Henry realized his faith in his family was worth it.

It had taken quite rough moments for Regina to prove to be the mother she always wanted to be. He was her baby boy, her child she loved to death, and opening up, letting him see her emotions right in front of an audience was no easy task. Ultimately she showed him her heart, both literally and figuratively, to prove how much he meant to her – that the Evil Queen with the dark void had a recovering heart all because of him. He was her hope, he was the love she opened herself up to again. She also gave her son what he had been longing for: faith.

As expected, Pan refused to give up but as everyone, even he had his weaknesses. He was powerful and as Hook had put it, a demon. But Henry was the key indeed, and to the group's surprise, Pan gained his strength from the lost boys. Henry's (as the possessor of the heart of the truest believer) wish and decision to leave set off a chain reaction. The lost boys no longer wanted to be lost in Neverland. What ensued was chaos, those who remained loyal fought on Peter Pan's side to the death.

Everyone in the group fought to the best of their abilities, Emma wrapped herself around Henry and refused to let go of him even for a second. That allowed Regina focus on the battle, knowing her son was guarded by the savior herself. Nobody left Neverland without Peter Pan's permission but never did he expect so many attempting to flee at the same time. In the end, significantly weakened, Pan met his end in a moment of great tragedy.

He was old yet young, in a way just a boy desperately clinging to his wants and needs and heartache, which ultimately exposed his weakness. Ironically, it was dreamshade that pierced his heart on an arrow fired at him by one of his own. With the biggest threat and their leader gone, however, the embittered faithful tried to take the gang down. Fighters who had nothing left to live for were dangerous, and it made the crew's escape from Neverland all the more urgent.

They managed to open a portal. It was Rumplestiltskin and her magic combined, a collaboration that reminded her of darker times in her past. Times when she would follow his lead down a dangerous path. This time, it was a fight to live and see the next day. As he was immortal, his chances of recovering from such efforts were better but all Regina had gone through, including torture, containing a trigger, tracking through Neverland and then fighting for their lives left her too vulnerable. She used all her energy to join her magic with Rumple. The last thing she remembered was their land, a glimpse of the familiar landscape before everything became a blur. Thinking back, she could only recall voices, words she couldn't understand, touches that were sometimes soft, sometimes a little less gentle.

When she came to, she was in Storybrooke again with Henry by her side. He had been reading to her. It was his voice and his murmur that registered in her mind first and in her haze she followed his voice through a thick fog. It was dark and seemed like night time when she regained consciousness, at least that was what she could make of her surroundings. She turned her head and it was her son's face illuminated by the bedside lamp in the hospital that she saw first.

She listened and observed him as her mind cleared up, there was relief and there was joy she felt but the smile that spread across her face was because of something else. Henry's eyes were dropping, he was also slurring his words and any other time she would have scolded him for straining his eyes in such low light and not getting some sleep – but not this time. Her son was reading to her and he seemed quite determined to finish what he started.

"Henry…" her voice cracked.

His head shot up, his eyes went wide and he was alert again. "Mom!" Then he was hugging her like no tomorrow and if that hadn't been painful enough, it was when she lifted her arms to return it that she felt the agony. She groaned, it was an involuntary sound, but all she was concerned with was not being able to return the embrace properly.

"Hey, kid! Henry! Take it easy –" Emma Swan's voice startled them both and when Henry withdrew, Regina saw the savior enter her room with two mugs in hand. From the smell of it, it was two hot chocolates.

"Welcome back," Emma said as she set the mugs down. Regina winced and only grunted in response. "Let me get Dr. Whale."

Had she been strong, Regina would have protested it all and although she had no trust in these "doctors" and "nurses", they clearly did their best to take care of her. As her son and Emma Swan stood by, Regina knew it must have been for their sakes rather than for her. When she was left alone with Henry and Emma again, her first question was why they hadn't healed her with magic like the last time they rescued her. The answer she got was frustrating: they had. But it wasn't more magic her body needed but rest.

After that her son filled her in on everything. How they kept her in the hospital because everybody else was busy. Outsiders were pouring in, appearances had to be kept, even higher authorities of this world somehow showed up because of suspicious activity.

Although there was no sign of Emma trying to restrict or even keep Henry from her, Regina recognized something in her old enemy that she was all too familiar with; she was very protective of Henry. Her eyes kept returning to the boy no matter who and what they were talking about. She did the same, after all, to make sure that Henry was truly with them safe and sound. Neverland clearly left them all on the edge a little but this observation of her son's birth mother would stay in the back of Regina's mind all during her recovery.

Henry visited every day. He came to check on her and to fill her in on what was happening. Each time he told her that Emma dropped him off and would wait outside, allowing them time alone. Henry told her of the growing worry in town, how these strangers were leaving everybody on edge, that questions were being asked, people were looking into buying property in Storybrooke, how they had been posting about the town on the internet, sharing selfies (whatever it was) on something called Twitter. He also filled her in on the details of their trip home.

According to her son, she had passed out soon as they got through the portal to the Enchanted Forest. David and Neal took turns carrying her while Rumple needed some time to recover the strength of his own magic, and Snow took care of her while she was passed out. Henry told her with great glee that his father, who had risen to the heights of a hero in his mind, had made friends with a man named Robin Hood and that man helped them locate a magical item that eventually allowed them to open a portal.

Each day it became clearer to Regina that while she was recovering, the population of this town was literally packing up and preparing to leave. To go back.

"Do you want to go?" Regina asked after another one of his news rounds up. It was a simple question and Regina tried her best to hear him out.

"Very much," he said.

"Hm."

The idea to go back was dreadful for her. Each time Henry's enthusiasm showed, she felt the need to bring up how horrifyingly unfair that world is. How much luxury and how much freedom he had here. But then looking at her son, she never had the heart to speak up. For one, there were moments of quiet in the room when Henry just seemed to enjoy his mother's presence. Moments when his face would lose that childlike quality and would instead look a little sad, a little contemplative. And then a small noise outside was enough to make him jump or frequently have him look behind his shoulder. Her heart sunk each time in realization. Henry was no longer feeling safe in Storybrooke. Although they saved him and he had a bigger family than what Regina had ever seen in any court, his time in Neverland was not going to go away without scars. Pan was dead but the memories weren't.

"Is that what you really want, Henry?" She asked quietly.

"Yes," he replied. "It's our place for happy endings, mom. You'll see."

He was still a believer and so convinced. Regina desperately wanted to tell him not to, that there was nothing to go back to, that it was a land of false illusions and only happy in his storybooks. But then, her son was still a believer. After all he had been through, after his horrible experience of having been kidnapped, the fights and the deaths he had seen, his hope and his faith was what kept his spirit. She just wanted to shelter and protect him, to keep him from any further harm and after a while she was resigned to the idea. Every once in a while she thought of asking her if maybe he wanted to go somewhere else with her but she did not have the courage.

Truth was, Henry was loved. Not just by her, but by Emma, by the two idiots, by the dwarves, by… well, everyone. It was a land where he of all people would probably be adored and sheltered and protected. He was the future king with more faith in people than she had ever seen in anyone. He was also the son of the savior, grandson of Snow and Charming… and Regina was no fool. She only had two choices: either part ways with her son for good or go back with him.

The idea of being separated from him again made her heart race in anger but not in the same way it used to. The look in his eyes, his trust in her and his trust in a better future never even let her consider the idea of taking him without his consent and leaving everything behind. Complicated history aside, Henry loved and wanted to be around his family and she just could not deny her son's wishes.

"Okay," she said and let her hand run through his hair. He didn't pull away anymore, instead he smiled at her. It reminded her of times when he was hers and hers only, when she was his only mommy. Things were different now and it hurt but it also gave her something she had not had before; Henry was aware of her past of who she was. They have had some rough years but here he was, sitting by her side, just being close to her. It was a kind of acceptance Regina had not felt since Daniel.

Each day Henry would come and update her on the progress. "David and my dad," the phrase would always make her tighten her jaw," think it's possible. They now just need magic to get it to work and expand the scale but it's quite tricky and Mr. Gold is not quite sure it is going to work. He says it's too risky and that it needs to be tested first. You should have seen the sparks flying everywhere at the first attempt."

Regina would smile and nod each time, sometimes she would ask questions to get him to talk more. He came willingly, that much she could tell, and that filled her heart with warmth. But each time he came, Regina knew Emma was outside. Each time he would get into her car and go home with her and spend time with Neal and it caused as much heartache as the time with him caused happiness. Twice he wanted to spend the night in the chair next to her bed but her recovery was slower than she had expected and she did not wish him to see how fragile she was. And he needed a comfortable bed.

Each day Regina grew more and more resolved to the fact that if she wanted to see her son, she would need to go back. She did consider the possibility that David and Snow would try to leave her behind again but it was Emma Swan herself who put her mind at ease.

"If you need anything, just let me know," the savior told her one afternoon when she was picking Henry up. Their time in Neverland changed their relationship – it was a little more cordial and a little more understanding on both on their sides even if friends was still be a loose term to describe it.

"I'm fine, but thank you, Emma."

"Well sure hope so – we are all hoping you can lend us a hand once you're back on your feet." And with that Regina was told everything she needed to know. She had a choice and she had a chance. She merely nodded in response.

It was better than no options, she knew, but that still did not make the whole idea any more appealing.

Something else was weighing on her as well. Henry did not mention it, she wasn't sure if her son even knew, but Emma broke her the news: there had been a casualty in their group as well. Tinkerbell did not survive.

"How?"

"She wanted to prove that she was a good fairy," Emma told her while Henry was off to the bathroom.

That haunted Regina more than anything. She was the reason why the fairy lost her wings. Her refusal at happiness meant Tinkerbell's failure and, ultimately, she met her death while trying to help save Regina's son. Was she feeling responsible? Not entirely but times, and she, too, have changed and it did not leave her cold anymore. Ever since Henry began filling her in about the plans, Tinkerbell's words kept ringing in her ears. And Greg's. She had blown her second chance – truth was, she had blown her third with Henry as well. Her son loved her, she loved him, but returning to her old world meant facing everything. She wasn't popular in Storybrooke, but having people see what her curse had left in its wake was not going to do her favors.

The laws – if there were still any – were different. It was going to be a blast from the past, reminder for everyone of what she had ripped away from them. She certainly couldn't and did not expect to move in with the happy Charming family just to be near her son and, clearly, they weren't going to let him live with the Evil Queen.

Her recovery in that blasted hospital bed was long. She had nowhere to go, nothing to do, her body was insistent and stubborn, her attempts of getting up before she was ready usually came back to bite her in the ass. That left Regina nothing but time to think. By the time she was strong and ready to leave, she made up her mind. This world was empty without her son. Their old land was going to be pain and, technically, it meant returning to her past she had been running from. But it was perhaps time to account for it all. For Henry, if she wanted to be in his life and, at the very least, Henry very much wanted her in his life, this was the only logical choice.

When she at last felt strong enough, Regina dressed herself and decided she had been in the hospital long enough. The nurses insisted she would need bedrest for a couple of more days at least but Regina did not listen. She was sick of being in somebody else's care – especially people who she knew did not like her one bit. And this was not going to be any better when going back. No matter how much she loved Henry, no matter how she risked her life to un-do her own trigger… it wasn't enough. She was their Evil Queen, known in an entire land as the caster of the curse that ransacked their homes and took them somewhere else.

By the time she summoned her magic and disappeared in her purple smoke from the hospital (without a word to anyone, of course), Regina was resigned to the inevitable. She materialized at the front door of the city hall where she was told the gang was meeting for their work. She looked around out of instinct, remembering that there were now outsiders in town, but to her relief nobody was in sight. Grabbing the handle, Regina thought of blown second chances, of Tinkerbell's words and her own responses. She did not feel the simmering rage anymore. She felt love for her son but also felt the emptiness and the confinement of the walls she had built around herself. She felt and was aware of people's resentment, how that would intensify upon their return to the old land, the one her son dubbed as "the place for happy endings."

Taking a deep breath, the former Queen raised her head and walked through the door. If she was going to do this, she was going to do with her head held high. She had worked with these people before, she would survive one last quest before their final journey back to a place that brought her nothing but misery, heartache and a spectacular fall.

_"But villains don't get happy endings,_" she reminded herself and she might as well accept it at last.

"Well, look who decided to get up."

She narrowed her eyes at him but that was the only acknowledgment she gave Rumplesitltskin. Her eyes swept through the group; Rumple, Belle, Neal, the inseparable golden couple Snow and Charming, Emma Swan and a face she did not recognize.

"Mom!" Henry's face lit up with excitement and he ran to her to grab her hand, dragging her close to the group. "Now we're ready to take on Operation Home."

She gave him a half smile – one that was meant only for him. She was tied to these people, there was a lot of history and she did not like them. As she scanned the group, observing them talking to one another, she knew how this would end. She loved her son and was willing to go back and face the music if it meant having him in her life. But this was not her happy ending, Rumple had been right.

She wanted to be happy, oh so desperately, but she had blown her chances and darkness had consumed her. It was inevitable. She had left that land because there was nothing left for her to go back to – ironically, Storybrooke and this world now offered nothing either. And now? Not even her rage. Not even vengeance. There was nothing but compromise left for the former Queen.

Regina sighed and turned to her son. "Who's that man?" She nodded toward the unfamiliar face. Henry looked up. "Oh. He's Robin Hood. He helped us get through but was sucked in, too. He's coming with us – he's trying to get back to his son."

'I see."

Regina lifted her eyes and this time the man was looking at her. He bowed his head slightly in greeting but Regina did not react. She merely turned her attention back to group. Who was this man to her, after all. Just another stranger, she thought.


End file.
